1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wrap-around carrier which is held together by a secondary locking system with overlapping flaps without the necessity of using any primary locking system.
2. Background
When fabricating a carrier from a paperboard blank, opposite ends of the blank are conventionally attached to each other by glue or by mechanical locks to form the bottom panel of the carrier. In the case of a wrap-around carrier, flaps located on the ends of the blank typically are overlapped and engaged with one another by mechanical locks formed in the flaps to form the bottom panel of the carrier. Since the bottom panel must maintain its integrity throughout the use of the carrier, it is essential that the locking system be capable of supporting the weight of the packaged articles, and remain engaged during shipping and handling of the constructed carrier.
The conventional way of providing a stable mechanical lock for a wrap-around carrier utilizes both primary and secondary locks. The secondary locks are basically a “back-up” to primary locks.
When containers with flat bottoms are placed in a wrap-around carrier in two rows, it is difficult to lock a primary lock system as the male locks will be prevented from locking by the bottoms of the containers It would also be desirable to provide a wrap-around carrier which only has a single locking system as it would result in a significantly saving of the material, such as paperboard, used to construct the carrier.